Marine hydraulic steering systems are typically used in both large ships as well as power boats. The hydraulic systems are used to position the rudder to change direction of travel of the craft. However, a frequent problem, particularly with older boats, is the leakage of hydraulic fluid around seals, and losses of fluid through other means. Insufficient hydraulic fluid in the steering system will lead to the loss of steering control, rendering the boat dangerously unnavigable.
In typical power boat marine hydraulic steering systems the only way to detect low levels of hydraulic fluid is to unscrew the cap of the system and visually inspect the level of fluid. This is typically only possible when the boat is at rest, for example at a dock or mooring. It is not possible to continuously monitor hydraulic fluid levels while the boat is underway because opening the cap will cause spillage and loss of the hydraulic fluid. Accordingly, a boater may suddenly reach an insufficient level of hydraulic fluid while underway. This is potentially very dangerous, as the boater may lose control of the boat at when the boat is travelling at a high speed or while it is in a close passage with another boat.
What is desired, therefore, is an apparatus and method that allows a boater to easily retrofit existing power boat marine hydraulic systems to visually inspect and determine of the presence of a safe level of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic steering system